1988 Masters (snooker)
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24–31 January 1988 |
| Venue | Wembley Conference Centre |
| City | London |
| Country | England |
| Format | Non-ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £225,000[1] |
| Winner's share | £56,000[2] |
| Highest break | Steve Davis (ENG) (126)[2] |
| Final | |
| Champion | Steve Davis (ENG) |
| Runner-up | Mike Hallett (ENG) |
| Score | 9–0 |
← 1987 1989 → | |
The 1988 Masters (officially the 1988 Benson & Hedges Masters) was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 24 and 31 January 1988 at the Wembley Conference Centre in London, England.[1] The fourteenth edition of the Masters, it was the second Triple Crown event of the 1987–88 snooker season. Sponsored by cigarette company Benson & Hedges, it had a total prize fund of £225,000 with £56,000 being awarded to the winner. The invitational event was contested by the 16 highest ranked players in the snooker world rankings.[3]
Dennis Taylor was the defending champion, having won the 1987 Masters, following a 9–8 victory over Alex Higgins. Taylor lost in the first round against Mike Hallett, who was making his debut. Steve Davis won his second Masters title by defeating Hallett 9 frames to 0. As of 2026, this is the only time a whitewash has occurred in a Masters final.[4] Davis made the highest break of the tournament, a 126 in the second frame of the final which was one of two century breaks.[3]
Overview
The Masters is an invitational snooker tournament that was first held in 1975; the 1988 competition saw the top-16 players from the snooker world rankings compete.[5] It is one of the three Triple Crown events in the game of snooker, the others being the World Snooker Championship and the UK Championship,[6] but it is not an official ranking tournament.[7] The 1988 Masters was its 14th staging.[7] It occurred from 24 to 31 January 1988, at the Wembley Conference Centre, London.[5]
The Masters was sponsored by cigarette company Benson & Hedges and organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.[5] The last 16 and quarter-final stages were best of nine frame matches, the semi-finals best of 11 and the final a best of 17 frames played over two sessions.[5]
Field
Defending champion Dennis Taylor was the number 1 seed with World Champion Steve Davis seeded 2. The remaining places were allocated to players based on the world rankings. Mike Hallett and John Parrott were making their debuts in the Masters.
Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for the event is shown below:[2]
- Winner: £56,000
- Runner-up: £32,000
- Semi-final: £18,000
- Quarter-final: £12,000
- Last 16: £6,000
- Highest break: £5,000
- Total: £225,000[1]
Main draw
| Last 16 Best of 9 frames | Quarter-finals Best of 9 frames | Semi-finals Best of 11 frames | Final Best of 17 frames | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Dennis Taylor (NIR) | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Mike Hallett (ENG) | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Mike Hallett | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Alex Higgins | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Tony Knowles (ENG) | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Alex Higgins (NIR) | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Mike Hallett | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | John Parrott | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Cliff Thorburn (CAN) | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Rex Williams (ENG) | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Cliff Thorburn | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | John Parrott | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Neal Foulds (ENG) | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | John Parrott (ENG) | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Mike Hallett | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Steve Davis | 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Jimmy White (ENG) | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Doug Mountjoy (WAL) | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Jimmy White | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Joe Johnson | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Joe Johnson (ENG) | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Willie Thorne (ENG) | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Joe Johnson | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Steve Davis | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Terry Griffiths (WAL) | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Silvino Francisco (RSA) | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Terry Griffiths | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Steve Davis | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Steve Davis (ENG) | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Dean Reynolds (ENG) | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Final
| Final: Best of 17 frames. Referee: John Street Wembley Conference Centre, London, England, 31 January 1988. | ||
| Steve Davis England |
9–0 | Mike Hallett England |
| First session: 68–55 (61), 130–0 (126), 87–25, 75–20, 99–28 (72), 98–27, 70–33 (53), 59–46 | ||
| 126 | Highest break | |
| 1 | Century breaks | 0 |
| 4 | 50+ breaks | 0 |
Century breaks
Two century breaks were made during the tournament:[3]
- 126 – Steve Davis
- 105 – John Parrott
References
- ^ a b c "Rich Masters". Aberdeen Evening Express. 19 September 1987. p. 10.
- ^ a b c Smith, Terry, ed. (1988). "Benson & Hedges Masters Results". Benson and Hedges Snooker Year (Fifth ed.). Aylesbury: Pelham Books. p. 93. ISBN 0720718309.
- ^ a b c d "Masterly Davis". Snooker Scene. March 1988. pp. 9–15.
- ^ "The Masters". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Smith, Terry, ed. (November 1988). "Season in depth". Benson and Hedges Snooker Year (fifth ed.). Penguin Books, Limited. pp. 90&zwj, –&zwj, 93. ISBN 0720718309.
- ^ "The Dafabet Masters". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Brief History of the Masters (Formerly the Benson & Hedges Masters)". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ "The Masters". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2012.